Forevermore
by SelaNaib
Summary: What happens when Sleeping Beauty can't be awakened with a kiss?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimers: **I don't own the rights to the characters. But if TPTB don't put them on screen for over two weeks, then I'm going to invite them out to play.

**A/N: **The idea for this story came to me based on some postings by Canada Woman and Princess Charming on the After Ellen Bianca/Marissa forum. The location of the music box in Bianca and Marissa's home as well as it spurring Marissa's breakdown are their ideas. The soapy, cheesy melodrama and not quite accurate medical information, as well as any other errors, are all mine. I hope you enjoy it.

**Forevermore**

"I love you, too. See you soon." Marissa purposely deepened her voice on the last word, offering a promise of things to come. She ended the call and placed the phone on the mahogany dining room table, which she'd already set for their romantic evening. Candles, flowers, wine. Tomorrow the kids would be returning from camp and neither she nor Bianca could wait for their complete family to be under the same roof again. But tonight was going to be theirs. _Theirs._ They'd moved into the house nearly a year ago and sometimes Marissa still didn't believe she had finally found what she'd been searching so long for. She was sitting in _their_ dining room, in _their_ home. Tonight they would be in _their_ bed. Marissa blushed slightly, feeling desire begin to flare. "Oh, Miss Montgomery," she smiled to herself, "the plans I have for you."

Marissa glanced at the custom made wall clock from Switzerland that Erica had given them as a housewarming present. It kept perfect time. Knowing Erica, it had probably cost a fortune, but as Bianca had once said, Erica always did know what to buy. Ten to Seven. Bianca should be home any minute.

"Any minute" was taking longer than expected. Seven-thirty and Bianca still wasn't home. A small nagging feeling began to grow in Marissa's stomach. Even if Bianca had been stuck in traffic, she should have been home by now, or she would have at least called. Marissa dialed Bianca's number for the third time and for the third time it went straight to voicemail. "Hey," she said, trying to keep her tone light. "Where are you? "

An hour later and the nagging feeling had blossomed into full blown worry. Where could she be? Marissa had already called the Miranda Center, thinking perhaps that she had been delayed by an emergency, but the staff said Bianca had left at her usual time. She'd placed another half dozen calls to her, all of which continued to go right to voicemail.

Marissa paced the length of the dining room, clutching her phone. Maybe she should call Kendall. Chances were that if something caused Bianca to deviate from her normal behavior it involved either her sister or her mother and since Jack and Erica were off on the European leg of her book tour, Kendall was the most likely choice. Before she could search her contact list for the number, Beethoven's 3rd Symphony sounded in her hand.

A local number flashed across the display screen, but not one that she immediately recognized. For a moment, she considered not answering it, thinking it could be a client and she was definitely not in the right frame of mind to dispense legal advice right now. But that worried feeling that was eating away at her insides told her she should answer.

"Hello?" she answered tentatively

"Hi Marissa. Jake Martin," came the calm voice on the other end. Too calm. Marissa knew from experience, good news did not accompany that tone of voice in a doctor.

She felt her knees buckle and grabbed the back of one of the dining room chairs for support.

"Yes, Jake. What can I do for you?" Her voice didn't sound right to her own ears

"I'm calling from the hospital," he continued in the same soothing tone. "Bianca's just been brought in. She was in an accident."

Marissa's blood turned to ice in her veins and the clock hands she'd been watching all night seemed to stop. Painful memories swirled around her, pulling her back to another house and another call. The last time she'd received a call like this, Roy and Lydia Tasker, the only parents she had ever known, were dead.

"Marissa. Marissa?" she dimly heard Jake's voice calling her name. "Marissa? Are you there?"

"Yes. I'm here." She swallowed hard before asking the next question. "How badly is she hurt?"

"Come to the hospital. We'll talk when you get here."


	2. Chapter 2

Marissa hurried down the emergency room corridor, red hair flying behind her. Immediately her eyes lighted upon Jake, examining a patient's chart by the nurse's station. She stopped short when she realized it was probably Bianca's chart. Forcing herself to move forward, she reached the doctor in just a few seconds. "Tell me what's happening. "

Jake nodded, putting an arm around her shoulders, and steered her into the waiting room. "Let's have a seat."

She hesitated. "You realize telling me to sit is probably the least calming thing you could say to me right now."

"Think of it as helping me out," he told her, gently pushing her into one of the plastic chairs. "I've been standing since 9am," Jake grinned, plopping himself down beside her.

Marissa knew he was trying to ease her anxiety, but it wasn't working. "Okay, I'm sitting. Now tell me."

Jake could see the worry in those hazel eyes and knew what he had to say would only make it worse. He took a deep breath and began. "Something caused Bianca's car to swerve off the road and into a tree. It's fortunate that she was wearing her seatbelt because the airbag didn't deploy."

"Oh god," Marissa gasped.

"The good news is that she didn't sustain many injuries."

Marissa wasn't fooled. "And the bad news? Don't hold back, Jake. I need to know."

Jake reluctantly nodded. "The injury she did sustain was caused by her head colliding with the steering wheel. Bianca's brain is bruised and the swelling is increasing. We need to operate to relieve the pressure and give her brain time to recover."

Tears welled in Marrisa's eyes. "And then?"

"And then we can only wait," Jake answered, sympathetically. "But, hey, Bianca is young, healthy, and I don't know anyone stronger. Do you?"

Marissa managed a teary smile at that and shook her head. She definitely didn't know anyone stronger than the woman she loved.

"Exactly. You hold on to that thought." He stood up. "The surgery will take a few hours, but I'll be back to talk to you as soon as it's over," Jake promised as he left.

Marissa bent forward, holding her head in her hands. This couldn't be happening again. Her mind drifted back three years before to a similar conversation with a doctor who had suggested they sit. "I'm so sorry, Ms. Tasker," he had told her. "We did everything we could but their injuries were too extensive." And like that, her parents were gone. "No!" she said aloud, slamming the door shut on those memories. "Thinking positively," she reminded herself. After all, that's what had gotten them their lovely home.

Taking a steadying breath, she dug her phone out of her bag. She had calls to make.

Krystal was the first to arrive. "Oh, honey, I'm so sorry," she said, sitting next to her daughter and enveloping her in a huge hug. She drew back and looked directly into Marissa's eyes. "But you know she's in good hands with Jake."

Marissa nodded and let herself be enveloped again.

Minutes later, Kendall rushed into the room, her anxiety palpable. She sat on Marissa's other side and took her hands in her own. "Tell me everything." Marissa relayed what Jake had told her.

A story she found herself repeating over and over again as other Pine Valley residents filed into the small waiting room. Zach had found a sitter for Spike and Ian and hadn't left Kendall's side since he'd arrived. Greenlee and Ryan had followed shortly thereafter. Then the others: Tad, Dixie, Amanda, Randi. And they all stayed. Brot had come by to say that it looked like an accident; Bianca had swerved to avoid something in the road. Scott and Madison were the most recent arrivals. Even Cara and Griffin, who were on duty, came by whenever they could. Marissa looked around in amazement. It was sometimes easy to forget how beloved Bianca was by the town.

Krystal joined her daughter by the coffee station. "You hanging in there okay," she asked, rubbing her hand along Marissa's arm. The redhead bit her bottom lip and slowly nodded. "But I'm a little confused. Where did they all come from?" she asked her mother quietly, gesturing at the people. "I only called you, Kendall, and the camp where the kids are."

Krystal nodded her head in the direction of the seat closest to the door, its occupant's normally vivacious and outgoing manner replaced with quiet, subdued concern.

"Of course," Marissa smiled for the first time in hours. "Opal."

"Besides, honey, they're not all here just because of Bianca, they're here to support you, too," Krystal explained.

Tad refilled his coffee next to them and placed a kiss on the top of Marissa's head. "You know there's no one better for her to be with than Jake, right, sweetie?" She nodded. "As a brother he's," Tad waggled his hand back and forth. "But as a doctor, there's none better." Marissa found herself smiling again. "You know AJ, Miranda, and Gabby are all welcome at Chez Martin if that would help. We have plenty of room."

"Thank you," Marissa responded. "But I arranged for them to stay at camp for an extra week. I hope that'll be enough time. If not…" her voice trailed off.

Tad wrapped his arms around her. "Shhh. It's going to be okay."

"You know this feels like one them déjà vu things," Opal's voice carried more loudly than usual in the quiet waiting room.

"Ma," Tad called out, his tone definitely a warning and Marissa felt Krystal stiffen beside her.

"Well, it's not like this is the first time we've all been waiting at the hospital for news about Bianca," Opal continued

"Ma!" Tad's voice was sharper this time as he crossed the room.

Marissa knew Bianca had once been in a coma, but the other woman had been surprisingly unforthcoming about the details. Respecting her privacy, she hadn't asked for them, but from the expressions on everyone's faces, she wondered if she had done the right thing.

She turned to Krystal, intending to see if her mother had any answers, when Kendall's phone rang. "It's Mom," she announced and stepped into the hall to take the call.

Marissa's shoulders sagged in relief. Being unable to get in touch with either Erica or Jack for the past few hours had been an additional source of stress for her. Though she had to admit, she was happy that Kendall was the one talking to her mother. Erica was always polite and courteous to Marissa, but she couldn't help the feeling that Bianca's mother was watching, waiting, almost hoping for her to make even the slightest mistake. It made her uneasy.

Kendall returned to the waiting room. "Mom and Jack are on the next flight from Rome. They'll be here tomorrow."

"Oh yippee," Marissa's response was out of her mouth before she could stop it. She clapped a hand over her mouth as her cheeks flooded with embarrassment. "I can't believe I just said that."

Having dealt with Erica for more years than Marissa, understanding laughter rippled around the room, relieving some of the tension Opal had inadvertently created.

As the laughter died down, Jake walked into the room, still dressed in scrubs and looking very tired. He gazed at Marissa from the doorway, his face expressionless.

Marissa stared back and felt the control she'd been hanging onto so tightly all night long begin to give way. Only Krystal's arm around her waist prevented her legs from giving out. In a flash, Kendall was standing on her other side. "Do you want to go somewhere more private to talk," he asked, looking around at the number of people.

"No. No. They've waited this long with me. We should hear it together."

Jake nodded and smiled. "The surgery was as successful as we could have hoped. We were able to relieve the pressure on her brain."

The room let out a collective sigh of relief.

"So she's going to be okay, right?" Marissa asked before allowing herself to feel the joy bubbling up inside her.

Jake was cautious. "Once she wakes up, we'll know a lot more."

"And when will that be?" Kendall asked

"There's no way of telling," Jake replied. "We have to wait for the swelling to go down and her body to heal itself."

"Can I see her?" Jake saw the pleading look in Marissa's eyes and even though he knew he should say no, that Bianca needed her rest, he couldn't. "Yes, go ahead. She's in the recovery room."

Marissa took a step forward, then stopped and turned to Kendall. "I'm sorry. Do you want to go instead…?"

Kendall shook her head and rejoined Zach. "You should go."

Marissa left the waiting room, turned right and walked a little further down the corridor. She stood in the doorway to the recovery room and felt her stomach drop when she saw Bianca. The woman who was usually so full of life and warmth was pale and still, big white bandages wrapped around her head, covering the silky brown hair she loved to feel flow through her fingers. Slowly Marissa walked to the bedside and pulled over a chair. Sitting, she entwined her fingers with Bianca's. "We're going to get through this together," she whispered.

Sometime later, Jake entered the recovery room to check on Bianca's progress and found Marissa still seated by the bed. "There's nothing you can do here right now," he told her. "Go home. Get some rest. I'll call you as soon as there's any change."

Marissa looked back at him, determination in her eyes. "I'm staying right here until she wakes up."


	3. Chapter 3

Marissa was nothing if not true to her word. Two days later she was still sitting by Bianca's bedside, waiting for her love to open her eyes. Numerous people had come to visit, most of them had tried to coax Marissa into taking a break, offering to wait in her place, but she refused. Just a few minutes ago she had even found the courage to refuse Erica, something Bianca would have found amusing had she been awake to witness it.

"You don't have to do this alone, Marissa," Kendall said, placing her hand on the other woman's shoulder. "We love Binks, too."

Hazel eyes looked up at her, blinking in surprise. "I know that."

"Then let us help you." She sat down beside Marissa. "When Bianca wakes up, she's going to need all of your strength. You won't be any good to her if we have to put you in the room next door."

Marissa shook her head. "I can't leave her."

"You know," Jake walked into the room, having overheard their conversation, "Kendall has a good point. When was the last time you slept? Or ate?"

"I've been eating," Marissa defended.

Jake sent her a disbelieving glance. "Anyway, I have to take Sleeping Beauty here for some tests to see why she hasn't woken up yet."

"I'll wait."

"They'll take a few hours," Jake explained. "Go home, get a change of clothes, have something to eat and when you come back, she'll be here waiting,' he promised.

"And Mom and I will be here," Kendall added. "If anything happens, I will call you."

The redhead's expression turned stubborn. "I'll wait," she repeated.

"Please don't make me have to admit you to the hospital, too, Marissa. Pine Valley Hospital can only accommodate one Montgomery family member at a time. Two of you and we'll have to build an extra waiting room." Jake's tone suggested he was only half teasing.

Marissa heard the underlying seriousness in his words and reluctantly nodded. She whispered a soft goodbye to Bianca, placed a gentle kiss on her forehead and tried to stand up, only to collapse back into the chair.

"You know what, you shouldn't go alone. I'm going to drive you," Kendall told her.

"You don't have to…"

"Are you kidding? When Binks wakes up, do you know how mad she'll be at me if I don't take care of you? Now I don't know about you, but I do not want to be on my sister's bad side," Kendall grinned.

Marissa couldn't help but smile. Bianca could be very protective. "You'll be here, right?" she asked Erica.

"I will be here the entire time, darling."

It didn't take them long to reach the big white colonial structure on Park and Crescent. Walking inside, Marissa felt like a stranger in someone else's house, the emptiness settling around her; the silence was so loud it was deafening. Her gaze immediately went to the dining room, the wilted flowers and unused wine visible from the foyer. Had it only been two days ago that she had sat at that table, looking forward to spending the evening with Bianca? Suddenly, she didn't want to be there any longer. This wasn't her home.

Kendall came in behind her, putting a stack of mail on the hall table. She saw what Marissa was staring at and it didn't take long for her to put it all together.

"You go up," she encouraged, gently nudging Marissa in the direction of the stairs. "I'll take care of everything down here." Marissa nodded mutely and slowly climbed them.

Shortly after, she exited the master bathroom, feeling a bit more stable. Kendall and Jake had been right. At the very least she needed to keep her strength up for Bianca. Toweling her hair, she pulled an overnight bag from the walk in closet and stuffed a couple of changes of clothes in it. On impulse she also packed an outfit for Bianca. She would need it eventually.

Marissa dressed quickly and surveyed the room, making sure she had missed nothing. Sunlight glinting off something metal on her nightstand caught her eye. She crossed to it and ran her hand lovingly along its edges. Her music box. But it was so much more than just that. It was the most perfect gift she had ever received and had been the key to unlocking the happiness she had been searching for. Her mind wandered to another summer's day, just over a year ago, standing with Bianca by the lake in the park, so sure of what she wanted and desperately trying to convince the other woman of the same. "The music box plays a song that my father used to sing to me when I was scared. And it made me feel good about myself," Marissa had confessed. "It made me feel like I could do anything in the world, as long as I had the courage to try. You are that song, Bianca. You make me feel the way that song makes me feel."

Back in the present, she lifted the lid and the tune began to play. Marissa didn't realize she was crying until she felt the warmth splash on her arm. One tear was followed by another and then another, each one coming more quickly than before. She'd held them back for so long that now they wouldn't stop. With the tears came the other forbidden thoughts she had pushed away for the past two days.

_What if Bianca didn't wake up? _

_What if she lost her like she lost her parents? _

_What if Bianca died? _

The weight of the "what ifs" pushed her down until she was sitting on the floor, knees drawn up to her chin. She stared at the music box through blurred vision.

_What if this is all I have left of her? _

Marissa's tears turned into body racking sobs.

That was how Kendall found her a few moments later, having rushed up the stairs when she recognized the anguished sound coming from the bedroom. It was the same pain she'd felt when she thought Zach had died. Kendall dropped to the floor beside her and wrapped her arms around the other woman, drawing her close. "It's okay," she soothed. "Let it all out."

Marissa wanted to talk. Felt the need to explain, but she couldn't form words. Every time she opened her mouth, all that came out were more sobs. "Shhhh," Kendall told her. "It's okay. I understand."


	4. Chapter 4

By the time Kendall and Marissa returned to the hospital, Bianca's tests had been completed and Jake was waiting to talk to them about the results.

"Let's talk in here," he pointed to the waiting room. The two women walked in to find Erica pacing impatiently. "Finally!" She looked at Jake. "Now will you please tell me exactly what is wrong with my daughter?"

"It is just as I expected," he told them. "The swelling has gone down in Bianca's brain and, physically, she's healing nicely."

"Well then you must have missed something," Erica declared, her voice rising. "Because my daughter should be awake, living her life, with her children, her family, the woman she loves," her hand gestured to Marissa. "Not confined to a hospital bed because some lab tech is too lazy to read the results properly."

"Erica, I assure you…"

"I don't want your assurances, Dr. Martin. I want my daughter to wake up! Rerun the tests! I will not go through this again! Do you understand? Not again!" She ran from the room. Kendall quickly followed after her.

"Jake, I'm sorry about that. I know you're doing the best you can." Jake waved away Marissa's apology. "It's Erica. She loves her daughter. If Trevor was lying comatose in a hospital bed, I don't know what I'd do."

"Will you run the tests again?"

"Like I could deny Erica," he laughed. "She'd only try to do it herself, if I didn't. But I'll give it a few hours first. See if anything changes."

Marissa nodded. "Thank you." She walked back to Bianca's room, carrying the overnight bag, and was slightly surprised to find that neither Kendall nor Erica were there. Kendall was probably still trying to calm her mother down. What a day Bianca's sister was having. She made a mental note to call Zach later.

Marissa set the bag on the floor and resumed her place at Bianca's side, entwining their fingers again. "Sleeping Beauty is right," she sighed, using her other hand to caress Bianca's cheek. "If only a kiss was all it took to wake you, like in one of Gabby's bedtime stories."

It couldn't be that easy, could it? Marissa leaned over and placed a soft kiss on the brunette's lips. She waited a moment, but wasn't surprised when she received no response from Bianca. Sitting back in the chair, Marissa caught sight of the overnight bag and had an idea.


	5. Chapter 5

_Bianca had never felt so calm and relaxed. It felt like she was drifting on a cloud. The sky was a glorious shade of blue and the grass beneath her back was soft and lush. The park had never been lovelier. She sighed. It was close to perfect. _

_In the distance someone had turned on their radio and she felt a momentary flash of irritation that her peaceful interlude had been disturbed. But there was something familiar about that song. She knew she recognized it from somewhere but she couldn't quite figure out where. As Bianca concentrated on the melody, trying to place it, it seemed to get louder._

_Suddenly she leapt to her feet. Marissa's song! The one her father used to sing to her when she was scared. Curious about who else would play that song, Bianca walked across the park, following the sound. She smiled when she reached the tree by the lake. Under that tree was where she and Marissa had their first kiss. Last month, on their first anniversary, they had carved their names in it. Bianca reached her hand out and lovingly traced Marissa's name. She imagined she could hear her voice, singing to her. _

_Wait! That was Marissa's voice. She was singing! _

**All through the night, near and far, we will be together**

_Why was Marissa singing that song now? She only did that when she felt frightened or alone._

_Disjointed images flashed through her head. A tree right in front of her. A rabbit in the road. The steering wheel. Marissa saying "I love you, too."_

"_I have to get back to her," Bianca told herself and began running toward the sound of Marissa's voice._

**So hush, don't you cry**

_She slowed when she saw a huge wrought iron gate in front of her, fastened with a padlock. Bianca had been through this park hundreds of times and there had never been a gate here before. Instinctively she knew that she could get to Marissa if she could find a way through. _

**you will be in my arms**

_Bianca frantically searched for something to break the lock. Looking to her right she saw the gazebo she and Marissa had walked beneath after looking at houses by the park. She smiled softly at the memory. Anything is possible they had agreed that day._

**Forevermore**

_Bianca looked back at the padlock. Could it really be that simple? She grabbed the lock and yanked with as much force as her love for Marissa could give her._

Erica and Kendall had entered the room while Marissa had been singing. Kendall smiled when she saw the music box open on Bianca's bed. That explained why it had been a last minute addition to the overnight bag. She and her mother stood at the foot of the bed, silently willing Bianca to wake up, not daring to break the spell the redhead and music box had woven.

Marissa raised their entwined hands to her lips. "C'mon, Bianca. You can't leave me now." She smiled, running her thumb along the brunette's forehead. "Do you remember the morning after the first time we made love and JR played dirty, trying to take AJ from me? Do you remember what you said? 'You and me,' you said. 'We're a package deal.' You don't get to back out on that, Bianca. A deal is a deal."

Bianca's deep brown eyes opened slowly, her voice coming weak but clear, "Forevermore."


End file.
